Body blank lubricating means for can body forming machines



Dec. 30, 1941. P. E. PEARSON 2,268,293

K LUBRICATING MEANS FOR CAN BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed NOV. 17, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 30, 1941. PEARSQN 2,268,298

BODY BLANK LUBRICATING MEANS FOR CAN BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed Nov. 17, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

Dec. 30, 1941. P. E. PEARSON 2,268,298

BODY BLANK LUBRICATING MEANS FOR CAN BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed Nov. 17, 1939 s Sheeis-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 30, 1941 a? BODY BLANK LUBRICATING MEANS FOR CAN BODY FORMING MACHINES Paul E. Pearson, Chicago, 111., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 17, 1939, Serial No. 305,022

4 Claims. (Cl. 271-54) The invention relates generally to can body Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view forming machines and primarily seeks to provide looking at the left side of the machine at the novel means for lubricating the blanks from position at which the invention is mounted.

which can bodies are formed so that abrasion Figure 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic vertical of the blanks will be prevented during movement cross-section through the machine feed line and of the blanks through the forming machines. illustrating the manner of mounting the inven- In can body forming machines, the blanks from tion on the machine.

which the bodies are formed are fed one by one Figure 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic vertical from a stack through successive stations in the longitudinal section through the lubricant feed machine at which various forming operations 30 unit drive center.

are performed. The well-known Troyer-Fox Figure 5 is a detail perspective view illustrating machine, disclosed in United States Letters Patthe lubricant feed unit mounting bracket. cut to Troyer, No. 1,772,820 of August 12, 1930, is In the example of embodiment of the invenan outstanding example of body maker, and in tion herein illustrated the lubricant distributing this machine the blanks are individually withdevices are illustrated as mounted upon a Troyerdrawn from the supply stack by a suction cup, Fox body maker which is very well-known in the are fed a distance forwardly to a grain breaker art and is disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent station by a reciprocating feeder, are pushed 1,772,820 hereinbefore referred to. This machine laterally by a reciprocating pusher and passed includes a left housing or frame side 5 and a through grain breaking rolls which return them ig t h us g 0 f e e the latter p to the breaker station at a higher level, and are ing the usual grain breaking roll set generally then fed step-by-step through the notching, designated 7, and each side housing serving as edging and forming stations in the well-known a mount for a set of blank edge notching devices manner. These blanks are coated with a protec generally designated 8. tive coating, usually of lacquer or enamel, so that As is Well-known, the blanks from which the products later packaged in the containers made can bodies are formed are withdrawn individfrom the blanks will not directly contact the ually from the supporting stack and are fed metal interior surfaces. Unless some provision step-by-step through the feed line in the mais made to prevent abrasive contact of the travelchine. As the blanks come to rest at the grain ing can body blanks with opposing surfaces of breaking station they are shifted laterally bethe machine parts, the abrasive action serves to tween e lower Cooperating grain breaking r0115, scratch the protective coating and lay bare metand, after passing through the rolls, are returned, a1 surfaces intended not to be exposed to oxidaat a higher level, to the feed line to be fed steption or to direct contact with packaged products. lay-step through e other m s s o th Therefore, it is an object of the present invention machine. It will be noted by reference to Figure to so lubricate the opposed blank and machine 1 of the drawings that a p Sta-151011 at which part surfaces as to prevent objectionable abrano mechanical operation is performed on the sion of coated surfaces of said blanks. body blanks is disposed between the grain break- An object of the invention is to provide means ing and n t h ns stat ns ra y di at d at for squirting a quantity of a lubricant against 0 7 and 8. It is at this stop station that the inveneach blank at a station in the machine and durtion h n s s d fun t sing a period of rest of said blank. A power shaft 9 is diposed along the outside Another object of the invention is to provide of each housing 5 and 5 i Suitable bearings lubricating apertures in the supporting rails or indicated at Ill, and each such shaft is connected slideways over which the blanks are fed, and to y driving cohnectiflns H W e Of t bla k force lubricant through said apertures and edge notching equipments 8 for the P p O against the blanks so as to apply a film of lubriimparting Vertical reciprocation 0 the notching cant to the coated surfaces of the blanks traveli o s.

ing over said rails or slideways. The blanks are fed step-by-step along the feed With the above and other objects in view that line by fee a s 12 whi r p oca e in roovewill hereinafter appear, the nature of the inven- Ways 3 p ov d d t r r. a h ar e n tion wil be more fully understood b following q pped w t us al la k e a n f eder the detailed description, the appended claims, fingers A blank is indicated on e Iced and the several views illustrated in the accomline in Figure 3 0f the d w spanying drawings. Each housing 5 and 6 includes a shelf portion In the drawings: l6, and a wear plate or slideway rail I1 is se- Figure l is a fragmentary perspective ie cured upon each shelf and cooperates with the looking from the left side and down into the feed nter bar I 8 dispos d n a l a g t d line of a body making machine having the inline and supported on the center support I 9.

vention mounted thereon. Each housing shelf portion is recessed as at 20 beneath the respective rail l1, and each rail is apertured and tapped as at 2|. I6 is apertured and tapped laterally as at 22, and this lateral tap is connected by a duct 23 with the top surface of the center bar in the manner best illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings.

A lubricant distributing fitting 26 is secured in each of the taps 2| and 22 and each fitting is connected by a distributing duct or conduit tube 25 with a suitable force feed lubricant distributing unit generally designated 26 and removably secured as at 21 on a bracket 26 which is in turn removably secured as at 23 to the left housing or frame side 5. See Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings.

Any suitable force feed lubricant distributor capable of forcing a squirt of lubricanhthrough The center bar the delivery openings provided in general cross lubricant delivery openings may be employed and suitably actuated in timed relation with the body blank feeding devices. 'One form of unit found acceptable for this purpose is disclosed in U. S. 1

Letters Patent to Coles No. 1,934,344, issued Nov. 7, 1933. This unit includes a rotary actuator shaft which imparts rotation to a distributor valve. and it also includes a plurality of distributor tube couplings and individual pump plungers which operate alternately to draw lubricant into the unit and "force measured quantities thereof from the unit under control of said distributor valve. Since the construction and operation of this unit is described in detail in the patent referred to, further detail description is thought to be unnecessary herein.

In order to operate the lubricant distributing unit for distributing the lubricant into the space intervening each blank I 5 and the supporting rails l1 and center bar as the blank comes to rest at the stop station intervening the grain breaking station and the blank notch station, there is provided a jack shaft 30 which rotates in suitable bearings 3| secured as at 32 on said housing orframe side 5 above the shaft 9 hereinbefore referred to. This shaft is not provided expressly for the purpose of actuating the lubricant feeding devices but is customarily provided on the body making machines as a part of the mechanism utilized to feed the body blanks laterally at the grain breaking station. A sprocket 33 is secured upon the shaft 30, and a sprocket 34 of like diameter is secured in alignment therewith on the adjacent shaft 9. A chain 35 is passed over the sprockets 33 and 34 and over a sprocket 36 of like diameter on a shaft 31 which is 'rotatably supported in a bearing 38 secured as at 33 on an extension 40 of the bracket 28. The shaft 31 carries a coupling head H which removably couples with the actuator shaft 42 of the lubricant distributing unit 26, the shafts 31 and 42 being disposed in axial alignment.

The feed tube couplings 43 of the distributor unit 26 are connected with the receiving ends of the tubes or ducts 25 leading to the feed line or blank supporting slideways, and an overflow duct 44 connects the distributing unit with a suitable point of overflow discharge. The distributor unit is supplied with lubricant from any suitable source of supply, and in this particular illustration this supply source takes the form of gravity feed cup 45.

- It will be obvious that by reason of the sprocket and chain connections 33 to 36 with the shaft 9, the lubricant distributor unit is actuated in timed relation with the various mechanisms of the body maker, including the feed bars l2, and these driving connections are so proportioned that this unit will deliver a squirt of lubricant through the cross-aligned rail and center bar-apertures each time a body blank ll comes to rest thereover. 'By this means a film of lubricant will be applied between each blank and the supporting rails and center bar, and abrasion of the blank will be avoided during the feeding thereof through the feed line of the body maker.

It is, of course, to be understood that the details of structure and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a can body maker wherein is provided a feed line including a center bar and laterally spaced right and left housing supported blank slideway rails, means for feeding blanks step-bystep over said bar and rails, said bar and rails having apertures extending upwardly through their blank supporting surfaces, and means actuated in timed relation to the blank feeding means for delivering a squirt of lubricant through said apertures each time a blank comes to rest thereover so as to lubricate said blanks and prevent abrasion thereof while passing over said bar and rails.

2. In a can body maker wherein is provided a feed line including slideway surfaces, means for feeding blanks step-by-step over said surfaces, means including a rotary power shaft for delivering blanks laterally onto the feed line, and means driven from said shaft to deliver lubricant between blanks and said slideway surfaces during an interval of rest of said blanks on said surfaces.

3. In a can body maker wherein is provided a feed line including a center bar and laterally spaced right and left housing supported blank slideway rails, means for feeding blanks step-bystep over said center bar and rails, means including a rotary power shaft for delivering blanks laterally onto the feed line, and means driven from said shaft to deliver lubricant between blanks and said center bar and rails during an interval of rest of said blanks on said center bar and rails, said centerbar and rails having apertures extending upwardly through their blank supporting surfaces, and said last-named means including a force feed lubricant distributor having a conduit attached to each aperture for delivering a squirt of lubricant through the apertures and against a blank thereover each time a blank comes to rest over said apertures.

4. In a can body maker wherein is provided a feed line including laterally spaced blank supporting slideway rails, means for moving blanks in spaced relation over said rails, means including a force feed lubricant distributer having delivery ducts disposed to deliver squirts'of lubricant between the blanks and said rails to prevent abrasion .of the blanks while passing over said rails, and means for operating said distributer in timed relation to the blank feeding means so as to deliver said squirts of lubricant only when blanks overlie said ducts and not when said ducts underlie spaces intervening said blanks.

PAUL E. PEARSON. 

